Divinity 2 Review

By Editor, on February 10th, 2010

Imagine a dangerous world where the land is ravaged by evil and ruled by massive dragons. Dragon killers are at war with dragon protectors, as the eternal struggle for stability and peace rests solely in your hands. This is the world of Divinity 2, an epic RPG that just landed on the Xbox 360.

Divinity 2 throws the player into the massive, wondrous world of Rivellon. The evil Damian is out for revenge, hunting the last great hero left alive in the land. Your role is that of a dragon slayer, who must take down the majestic flying beasts while also destroying the knights that protect them. Your journey is long, and the powers that your hero can get are great, but all is necessary to save Rivellon from the bloodthirsty creatures that inhabit it.

Divinity 2 is a fairly traditional action-RPG that includes most of the elements that you would expect. The free roam areas are packed with enemies, the killing of which will award you with experience points and new items. Once you gain enough experience to level up, you’re able to spend stat and skill points to gain new abilities and power up your dragon slayer. The experience system in Divinity 2 is satisfying, making you feel as if your character is truly evolving as you blast through the legions of nasty villains that stand in your way. I especially enjoyed the fact that you’re able to build the specific character that you want, as focusing on strength attributes will craft a brute-like warrior, for instance.

Thankfully, your warrior’s finely sculpted pecs aren’t the best thing about Divinity 2, as you eventually gain the ability to transform into a mystical and powerful dragon yourself. Using a special dragon stone, you can harness the force of these mighty beasts whenever you wish, letting you take to the sky and demolish foes with ease. This feature is just as cool as it sounds, and really helps Divinity 2 stand out from other 360 RPGs. You also eventually acquire a battle tower, which houses your alchemist, necromancer, trainer and enchanter. These characters open up new abilities and powers to your hero, adding a bit of spice to the already loaded gameplay.

Unfortunately, the difficulty balance of Divinity 2 isn’t finely tuned, as it can be extremely frustrating if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. Enemies of all levels are everywhere, and you really have to pay attention to the advancement of your character if you don’t want to get destroyed by a random countryside encounter. If you aren’t an experienced RPG player, I can see you having a bit of trouble getting accustomed to Divinity’s system, as walking your level four characters into a group of level ten bandits is not a pleasant experience.

Divinity 2’s story is your basic good vs. evil affair, but the twists and turns that this particular tale takes makes it worth experiencing. A lot is asked of your dragon slayer, including some moral choices that have damning consequences for those involved. Unfortunately, the game’s many glitches interfere with this story having full effect, as people walking through other people, freezing during cutscenes, and a terrible save system are ever-present issues. The latter is particularly aggravating, as you’re able to save at any time, but the game often loads older saves instead of your most recent one. There is an update that fixes this issue, but those without Xbox Live access are out of luck.

Divinity 2’s visuals don’t hide the fact that it originated on PC, but the world of Rivellon is very open, expansive, and stunningly beautiful. A lot of thought clearly went into the creature creation, as each character is highly detailed and fun to fight. The soundtrack is even better than the graphics, providing an epic symphony that will keep you hyped up for the battles ahead.

The obvious draw of Divinity 2 is that you can turn into a dragon, and this feature is just as awesome as it sounds. Of course, the epic story, massive landscape, and monster-packed world are nice bonuses as well. Divinity 2 is a flawed RPG, but like I said before, YOU CAN TURN INTO A DRAGON.